Larry Johnson to be a Bengal

A long-overdue signing of Larry Johnson will take place today. The Cincinnati Bengals are rumored to pick up the running back, who the Chiefs dropped a week ago, as insurance to a banged up Cedric Benson. Problem is, Johnson hasn't had a good year since 2006. If football was like dating, dude would be considered "out of the game."

My guess is he woo'ed the Bengals with some sweet pick up lines like, "I'd like to be the starting running back on YOUR first place team." Or, "I'd like to run the ball between YOUR two tackles!" (I could come up with these all day) Then, Johnson slipped 'em a few drinks and told 'em how beautiful they are in their black and orange, they giggled, and WHAM, he's got a date. Pick me up at 4:15 on Sunday, Larry.

LJ Going Once, Going Twice, SOLD to the Worst Team Available

Larry Johnson was cut by the Kansas City Chiefs this week after Johnson criticized coaches and sucked at football. The last few weeks in Kansas City were like any normal breakup for Larry. He was sleeping on the couch while neither party was getting any.... rushing yards. The Chiefs dropped to 1-7 with a loss to the Jaguars and back-up RB Jamaal Charles gained an impressive 36 yards.

With Johnson being an eligible bachelor come 4:00 today, speculation arises to which teams will be interested. Until 4:00, however, the team with the worst record that claims Johnson will get him, assuming anyone wants him. So, who wants him? Well, Larry is in the last year of his contract, earning a measly $60,000 bonus every game on top of his $4 million base salary.

So, if I'm thinking of a team with a bad record, willing to dump money on an over-the-hill veteran with no long-term value to the organization, one team comes to mind; the Washington Redskins. Hell, they've already got one overrated veteran running back in Clinton Portis. Why not two?

The thing to consider regarding Johnson is the fact that he's in the last year of his contract with a possible uncapped year after this one. The rule of thumb is that players step it up a notch when they're signing a new contract next season. So, a team with a decent offensive line, and that eliminates the Redskins, might want to consider claiming him and getting contract-year numbers out of him before letting him hit the open market and allowing another team to over-pay for 1 and 2 yard gains. (The Redskins)